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Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2
ONE OF THE BEST WATERPROOF SPEAKERS GETS EVEN BETTER.
THE ORIGINAL UE Wonderboom has been at
the top of our Best Waterproof Speaker list
since its debut and for good reason: It’s rugged,
plays louder than its diminutive sound
suggests, and could be paired to other UE
Wonderboom speakers to amplify sound.
And although the UE Wonderboom 2 looks
nearly identical to the original, Ultimate Ears
packed in a slew of upgrades that make the
Wonderboom 2 even better, like the increased
battery life (up 30% compared to the original),
better bass response, and the new Outdoor
Boost feature that helps the speaker get even
louder than before.
Combined, these seemingly minor upgrades
not only keep the UE Wonderboom 2 on our
list of the best waterproof speakers for another
year, but they help to make it one of the best
portable speakers you can buy period.
If you put the original Wonderboom next to
the Wonderboom 2, you’d be hard pressed to
point out the newer one. The only visual cues
are the Wonderboom’s new color
combinations and new elastic strap – the
speaker chassis, buttons, and microUSB
charging port all remain unchanged.
On top of the speaker are buttons for power,
pairing, and playback. On the front, you’ll find
big buttons for volume control. On the bottom
of the speaker, you’ll find the Outdoor Boost
button, which dials up the volume even higher
for noisy environments. All buttons are a
membrane type for water resistance, which
means they feel a bit squishy but aren’t difficult
to operate.
Sonically, the UE Wonderboom 2 is
fantastic for its size. The speaker plays much
louder than you would expect, especially with
the Outdoor Boost enabled. There’s a bit of
distortion at max volume, but if you keep it
below 80%, music sounds great.
But let’s spend a minute talking about
Outdoor Boost, as it’s the key feature that
separates the original from the Wonderboom 2.
While Outdoor Boost does increase overall
volume, sound quality takes a noticeable dip
when listening at lower volumes. With
Outdoor Boost enabled at medium volume,
cymbals sound splashy and mids are more
emphasised – which is a good thing – and
there’s slightly more bass than the original
Wonderboom, which helps bring some
warmth to the sound while not compromising
on the highs. Mids are excellent with vocals
sounding natural and detailed.
It’s not all good news, though. Soundstage
was a weak point of the original Wonderboom
and it still is with the second generation.However, UltimateEarsaddedtheabilityto
play in truestereoif youpairanother
Wonderboom2 whereasthefirstgencould
only link uptoboostvolume.
The UE Wonderboom2 is a fantasticrugged
and waterproofspeakeryou’llactuallywantto
take with. Itssmallsizedoesn’tmeansmall
sound, however,asthespeakergetsextremely
loud and soundsgreat.Whileit can’tmatch
the bass responseoflargerspeakerslikethe
UE Boom 3ortheBoseSoundLinkRevolve,
the improvedbassaddswarmthandintensity
to music thattheoriginalwaslacking.
[ LEWIS LEONG]41 / 2TESTBENCH
RADARULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
$129
http://www.ultimateears.com
CRITICAL SPECS
Bluetooth range 30m; 13-hour battery life;
Waterproof IP67; Outdoor boost, 360-degree
sound.WINNERED’sCHOICE
AWA RD